Behind Mudpuddle Green Eyes
by Measer
Summary: Gary, a dog and a package of hot dogs...


"Behind Mudpuddle Green Eyes"

By Measer

Disclaimer: Early Edition, its characters and whatever else are owned by Tristar and CBS. No copyright infringement is intended and no money is, was or ever will be made off of this.

Author's notes-- I just figured it might be interesting to tell a story completely from Gary's perspective. I would like to thank Nancy for beta reading my story and for helping me name the story.

Anyway on with the story...

* * *

"...ants were believed to be the cause of the destruct..."

Whaa... Six thirty already? Where is the button for the darn alarm clock? Ow... those would be my keys. There! It's finally off. I can go back to slee...

"Meow..."

...Aarrggg... that! They're like clockwork, the cat and the paper, always ten seconds after I shut off the alarm clock. I wonder if I could set my watch to them.

"Meorrww..."

Here we go again. Ohh.. ohhh.. ohhhh cold... cold... cold...Stupid furnace blasts heat in 90 degree weather but as soon as it hits anywhere below 55 the thing doesn't work! Maybe I should just get it replaced. Or move to the Bahamas.

"Meorrrwwwwww"

"I'm coming! Have a little patience..."

Geez even the door knob is ice cold. "Good morning, drill sergeant."

"Meow..."

Unbelievable... It's warmer in the hallway. Maybe I should sleep out here tonight.

"What disasters do you have for me today?"

"Meorrww..."

"Well, Come inside..."

Owww... bending down even hurts! I need coffee...

Coffee, coffee, coffee... where did I put it? Great. It's empty... Oh well I guess I'll have some downstairs, after a quick shower.

* * *

"Good morning, Marissa..." Ahhhh... Coffee. Sweet, sweet caffeine.

"Good morning, Gary. You sound a little off."

"I'm just tired and sore..." I don't want her to worry about me. She always does. Maybe if I mumble the last part she won't really hear it. "...Cause I fell down a half a flight of stairs..."

She has that concerned look on her face. Crap! That look's the one I was trying to avoid. Maybe I shouldn't have told her, but then again I could never hide anything from her.

"Are you all right?"

Let's see what this paper has in store for me today. 'POLITICAL MUD SLINGING CONTINUES', Can't do anything about that...

"Huh? Yeah I'm fine. Just sore nothing serious."

'BOMB SCARE'... Oh what's this? Yesterday afternoon a false bomb threat was called to the Chicago Institute of Art. The building was promptly evacuated and the bomb squad was called to the scene. After a thorough search of the building, no explosives were found. Police are still looking for suspects.

Hmmm it says here that it only disrupts the institute for a couple hours. There's nothing for me to do there. What else is in here?

"If it still bothering you in a couple days, you should go see a doctor..."

'OFFICER SHOOTS SELF IN FOOT'. Okay this happens around 9:40 a.m. there's plenty of time for me to stop that.

'PUBLIC SCHOOL BUDGET CUTS', 'VICE PRINCIPAL CAUGHT IN CORRUPTION SCANDAL', 'RAPPER ODB ARRESTED', 'CITIES RECYCLING PROGRAM FLAWED' ...

"I took some aspirin. It's not really bothering me anymore." Except when I bend down...

... Old text books... Hospital malpractice suits... Here's something-- 'MAILMAN MAULED BY DOG' That happens around 9:40 also. Crap! I can't stop both.

Well the officer just grazes his foot and needs two stitches, but the mailman need reconstructive surgery on his face. Looks like I'm going to be facing an angry Staffordshire Bull Terrier.

"That's good. How's the paper look today?"

"Pretty light. I should be back to help with the afternoon rush."

"That's good. It's probably trying to give you a bit of a rest."

"Do you know if we have any steaks left in the fridge?" The Dow Jones is up. Maybe I should invest more money in the market.

"I'm not entirely sure. You might want to wait until Tony gets here or just go into the kitchen and look for yourself."

* * *

Hmmm... There's nothing I could use in the refrigerator. What's in the freezer?

Let's see... salmon steaks... not the kind of steaks I was looking for. What else is in here.

Geez, when was the last time someone cleaned in here... I got to remember to tell the kitchen staff to defrost the freezer every once in a while.

Chicken wings, chicken breasts, pork chops. Hmmm, I'm not entirely sure that the dog will eat these raw. Better find something else.

It's a quarter to 9. I should be going. Guess I can't wait for the delivery from butcher. This package of hot dogs should work. They should be some what thawed by the time I get there.

* * *

There's the mailman.

"Hey! Don't open that gate!"

Why couldn't he just listen to me.

"Watch out for the dog!" Okay, he sees the dog. Good, he's running out of the front yard. Close the gate... No! Close the gate! He's running towards me. Crap! The dog's following him. Oh oh...

At least I wore my Reeboks. They're very comfortable for running.

Where did the mailman go? Great. Just great. At least I know that the mailman won't be mauled. I just hope that my picture didn't replace his on page 30.

Got to lose this dog. The hot dogs! I almost completely forgot about them. "Here mutt!"

Crud...! It swallowed it whole. Maybe if I throw the whole package. That'll stop him.

Oh...!! It just inhaled the whole thing. And it still looks mad. Why me...?

There's an open gate. I just hope nobody's in the yard.

Ahhh... it's still chasing me! That package of hot dogs probably gave it energy to go on all day.

There the gate's closed. Crap! The thing's behind me. Have to get away... a tree! It looks like it can hold my weight. I hope.

Can't reach the branch...

Damn... "Let go of my pant leg..." There go my new jeans. I guess it could be worse. The dog could have pulled the entire thing off instead of one leg. Could you imagine coming home to find a vicious dog and a man sitting in a tree in his underwear in your yard?

This branch looks sturdy enough. I guess I'll just wait here until the dog calms down. Should have brought more hot dogs.

* * *

"Go to sleep already will ya..." It's been three hours. You'd thing the dog would be tired from all that barking and circling around the tree.

"Look if you just let me go, I promise to come back with another package of hot dogs." Stupid thing's giving me a headache. I'm surprised nobody's reported the noise to the police or anything.

I wonder what else is in the paper.

Whoa! Almost fell out of the tree! I guess this branch isn't as sturdy as I though it was. This is just great. The wind just had to pick up...

At least I could still read the pap... whoops!

Nevermind. I guess the dog's keeping itself amused tearing up my paper. It actually looks like he's having fun. Can't say the same for me.

Why did this tree have to be in the middle of the yard? It couldn't be towards the fence where I could just jump down the other side.

Sigh. I guess it could be worse. This could have been a bear or a mountain lion that could have climbed trees.

* * *

"Hey, what are you doing in that tree?"

What? Who said that?

"Hey, over here the fence to the left."

I don't see anybody. Could it be my imagination's playing tricks on me?

"Your other left!"

A kid. "Kid, get off the fence! I'm locked in with a vicious dog."

"I don't see a dog... Whoa!"

"Hey, kid are you okay?"

"Yeah, that thing just scared me. Hold on, I'll be right back."

"I'll just wait for you right here." Like, I can go anywhere else...

"Hey man, can you see me now?"

"Yeah. What are you standing on.?"

"A bench."

"Be careful."

"Don't worry about it, I stand on this thing all the time. So, do you need help?"

"Yes! I've been stuck in this tree since 10:00. Can you call the police or animal control."

"Wow, six hours? Really... I called the cops when I went inside. They're on their way. By the way, I'm Jake."

"Nice to meet you, Jake. I'm Gary."

"You don't look like a robber."

"I'm not. This dog chased me into this yard. The only way I could get away from it was to climb this tree."

"Oh. That musta sucked."

"Yes it does. By the way...Thanks Jake."

"No problem."

* * *

Finally home.

"Hey Mr. Hobson. Can I get you anything? A beer, some thing to eat? Maybe a hot dog."

Ug... hot dogs. I don't think I can ever look at a hot dog without thinking about that dog. "No, I'm not hungry. Thanks anyway, Joe."

I wonder where Marissa is. Maybe she's in the office?

"Gary, is that you?"

"It's me."

"You sound tired. Maybe you should take a nap."

A nap sounds good. I feel kinda guilty. I said I would help with the bar.

"Take a nap. I'll wake you before the dinner rush. I can take care of the bar this afternoon."

"Okay. Thanks, Marissa."

* * *

**The End**


End file.
